Hulk vs. Thor / Hulk vs. Wolverine Blu-ray Review

This entertaining animated feature shines on Blu-ray.

Comic book fans have had a lot to like about the 21st century. The superheroes that
have graced the inky and colorful pages of their favorite volumes have matured to the big screen
in a big way. While nothing new to cinema, the Superhero genre has evolved into both an
artistic triumph and commercial success like Hollywood has never seen before. Plenty of live
action films have drawn record audiences and earned unheralded-for-the-genre accolades, and
rightfully so. Marvel Studios, having produced two of the most successful comic adaptations yet
in Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk,
are also responsible for a recent wave of animated superhero pictures, including Doctor Strange, The Invincible Iron
Man, Next Avengers: Heroes of
Tomorrow, two Ultimate Avengers
films, and now, perhaps Marvel Animation's finest work yet, a pair of short films -- Hulk vs.
Thor and Hulk vs. Wolverine. Gritty, exciting, to-the-point, and exactly what fans
crave, both films feature nonstop action in surprisingly well-developed stories that manage to
stay on-point and engrossing, both the smart writing and short runtimes keep the pacing intense
and the action robust. Featuring voiceover work and sound design worthy of the best
feature-length animated films, Hulk vs. is nothing short of a winner both technically and
from an entertainment perspective.

Hulk vs. Thor

I saw the beast's eyes, brother. It will not stop until Asgard is destroyed!

The Kingdom of Asgard is home to the gods, all of whom bow down before Odin. Once every
year, the mighty Odin must rest and regain his strength, and during this week the kingdom
becomes vulnerable to attack, though powerful Thor, son of Odin, thwarts each. Thor's
stepbrother, the evil Loki, wishes to destroy Thor once and for all. He summons earthling Bruce
Banner to Asgard, for inside Banner resides the powerful Hulk, a creature that comes forth only
when Banner is angered. Hulk is the only beast powerful enough to destroy Thor, and a magical
spell separates Hulk from Banner, removing the humanity from the beast and allowing Loki to
control Hulk's actions. Hulk beats Thor to within an inch of his life, but Loki's attempts to seize
the power of Thor's hammer are too strenuous, and he loses control of Hulk, allowing the beast
to ravage all of Asgard. Now, the unlikely team of Thor and Loki must come together to do all
they can to stop the green terror before the entire kingdom is destroyed.

Hulk vs. Wolverine

My name is Wolverine. I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice.

Hulk has crossed into Canada and is believed to have destroyed the small town of
Elkford. Wolverine is sent in to take care of the problem, one way or another. Soon after his
arrival, he finds Bruce Banner, cold and confused, in the middle of a Canadian forest. Banner
warns him to stay
away, but Wolverine aggressively presses the frightened Banner, and soon enough, the
Hulk is unleashed, leading to an epic confrontation between two of the most powerful beings on
the planet. After an extended fight, both Hulk and Wolverine are tranquilized and captured by
Deadpool and his colleagues and taken back to "Weapon X." Weapon X wants to turn Hulk into
their deadliest weapon yet by erasing Banner's memory and placing the green monster in their
direct control. Can Hulk and Wolverine put aside their differences long enough to escape and stop
Weapon X once and for all?

Hulk vs. is a lot of fun. Both entries are short, simple, easy to follow, jam-packed with
action,
and perhaps most importantly, different. Both feature a clash of superheroes, coming
together
for the ultimate showdown that leaves little to the imagination. The stories are good, woven
efficiently, and paced quickly. Newcomers to the characters and the worlds they inhabit won't
feel
overwhelmed or lost by the jargon, and the movies do well enough to set up the basics to allow
anyone and everyone to jump right in. After a quick set-up, nothing interferes with the action.
Hulk vs. is wall-to-wall superhero bedlam that never becomes watered down by
minutiae or worthless subplots. The limited runtimes clearly play a factor in this, but give credit
to Marvel Studios for producing something that is both interesting and engaging but also very
easy to digest. Hulk vs. plays out like a Saturday morning cartoon juiced up with a
better story, more action, plenty of animated gore (particularly the Wolverine entry), and
fantastic sound (more on that later), and the fact that both
hardcore comic fans and relative newcomers alike should enjoy these shorts immensely says
quite a bit
about how finely-tuned they are.

Hulk vs. arrives on Blu-ray with a solid transfer across both films. While Hulk vs.
Wolverine often appears colder and darker than the bright and warm Hulk vs. Thor,
both movies share similar qualities and perform well visually. Colors are described as "otherworldly"
and "godly" in the Hulk vs. Thor
commentary, and the Blu-ray brings out the best of the movie's warm appearance. Likewise, the
more foreboding appearance of Hulk vs. Wolverine shines in its own right. Wolverine's
bright yellow and blue suit appears richly colored and defined, and the dark blue, steely interior of
the Weapon X compound also holds up nicely. Lines are well defined and sharp across both movies.
The opening of Hulk vs. Thor, taking place in outer space and showcasing the Rainbow
Bridge, looks fabulous; colors are vivid and blacks are excellent and inky. A few scenes in both films
appear somewhat blurry and undefined, but generally speaking, the quality here is very good.
There is some banding in some shots, but it's not terribly intrusive, and perhaps unavoidable, as
discussed in the director's/colorist's commentary track for Hulk vs. Thor. All said, the
animation appears lively and sharp on Blu-ray; it is surpassed by the amazing soundtrack, but fans
should be pleased with this quality video presentation.

No doubt about it, Hulk vs. sounds fantastic on Blu-ray. Lionsgate once again offers
listeners a robust DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack that rattles and rumbles with the best
soundtracks available today. This presentation is ambitious, loud, and powerful. Bass rattles the
floorboards, and generally sounds as good as, if not better, than most feature-length,
wide-release, special-effects-heavy summer popcorn movies. The soundtrack is dynamic and
aggressive, spacious and clear, and loud and exciting. The 7.1 track impresses in most every
scene across both films; both the raucous action sequences and the more quite dialogue- and
music-driven scenes shine. The tracks enjoy a nice bit of atmosphere; a blowing wind rides
gently through the back channels and voices reverberate through cavernous chambers in
Hulk vs. Thor, for example. The rear channels receive quite the workout in both movies.
Hulk's first
unleashing in each entry makes for an exciting and powerful moment; his roars rumble the
soundstage, and some of the magic used to separate banner from Hulk in Hulk vs. Thor
fill the soundstage with a series of aggressive pulses that add quite a bit of excitement to the
scene, accompanied by plenty of loud, clear music. The action scenes in both films are packed
with dynamic lows; the subwoofer enjoys plenty of action, almost as much as in the
Incredible Hulk live-action movie. This soundtrack is almost as good and almost as
exciting as that reference-quality mix, and for a pair of animated adventures, this fantastic mix is
hard to beat.

Hulk vs. Thor features two commentary tracks. The first track features Writers Craig
Kyle and Chris Yost. This track, like the film, is a quick and easy listen that helps fill in a few
gaps, like a description of the purpose behind the film's opening shots of the Rainbow Bridge and
how
various shots set up both the film and the characters, particularly for people less familiar with the
worlds of Thor and Hulk. At the same time, the writers describe how fans will be rewarded with
little tidbits inserted into the film. They also discuss the look of the film, how it compares to
others of its kind, the story, and plenty more. Supervising Director Frank Paur, Colorist James
Peters, and Director Sam Liu populate the second track. After discussing the difference between
a "Supervising Director" and "Director," the trio delve into the material, discussing the look of the
movie and how it influences the feel of the experience, the nuances of the animation, the
challenges of the creative animation and how it transfers to the digital realm, and more. Both
tracks are entreating and informative, offering plenty of information packed into the abbreviated
runtime that both animation and superhero fans will enjoy listening to. Of Gods and
Monsters: The Making of 'Hulk vs. Thor' (480p, 18:26) spends a great deal of time looking at
the voice acting as heard in the movie. Jack Kirby + Thor (480p, 4:47) take a closer look
at the artist's visionary take on Asgard and the gods of mythology, particularly Thor, and bringing
it all to animated life. First Look - Thor: Tales of Asgard (480p, 4:40) provides fans with
a glimpse at this upcoming animated film. Also included is a series of 1080p trailers for
Marvel video games, including Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, in addition to
Disaster Movie, Ultimate Avengers 2,
Doctor Strange, The Invincible Iron
Man, and Next Avengers: Heroes of
Tomorrow.

Hulk vs. Wolverine

Hulk vs. Wolverine's set of supplements is also highlighted by two commentary tracks.
The first features, again, Writers Chris Yost and Craig Kyle. Like the Hulk vs. Thor track,
the pair provides plenty of insight into the movie and how it fits into the comic book universe and
future projects. They share their thoughts on the score, the story, the character design, the
violence, and more. The pair clearly allows their fandom to shine through, but that's perfectly
fine; their appreciation for the characters comes through in their story, and makes for a better
experience. The second commentary track features Supervising Director Frank Paur and Story
Illustrators Kevin Altieri and Butch Lukic. As listeners may expect, the track features a heavy
discussion about the look of the production and how it fits in with the story. This is Gonna
Hurt: The Making of 'Hulk s. Wolverine' (480p, 20:11) features heavy doses of Chris Yost
and
Craig Kyle discussing the construction of the project and its homage to some of the classic
comic issues. The piece also moves into the look of the film, the design of the characters, and
the voice acting. Fan Frenzy: Hulk vs. Wolverine - 2008 Comic-Con (480p, 8:02)
features the creative talent behind the film answering fan questions.
First Look: Wolverine and The X-Men (480p, 5:46) takes viewers behind-the-scenes of
the newest animated series. The same series of trailers from Hulk vs. Thor are available
from the Hulk vs. Wolverine menu as well.

Hulk vs. Thor and Hulk vs. Wolverine represent easy, entertaining, and well-done
animated superhero action. Neither movie is deep; they're both just superficial fun, leaving nothing
to the imagination and requiring no thought. Both movies are excellent quick-fixes of action that
hold good replay value thanks to plots that never become mired in contrivances or more than a
minute or two of downtime, all the while maintaining strong yet straightforward story lines that
move the action along nicely. Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of this movie two-pack is excellent. The
picture quality is fine and the soundtrack is intense. Another highlight of this disc is the inclusion of
some fine supplemental materials that are interesting, entertaining, and amazingly passionate on
the part of the participants. Hulk vs. is
another excellent release from one of Blu-ray's best and most unheralded studios, and comes with
an easy recommendation for animation and superhero fans.

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Hulk vs. Thor / Hulk vs. Wolverine Blu-ray, News and Updates

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has announced the technical specs and supplements for the upcoming Blu-ray release of the 'Hulk Versus' double feature, which is due to hit store shelves on January 27th. The disc, which includes both 'Hulk vs. Thor' and 'Hulk vs. Wolverine' ...

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